Power supply should meet summer demand
The California ISO's summer assessment report said an estimated 700 megawatts of new generation will be added to the ISO control area this year, as well as 230 megawatts in new demand response programs. These new generations roughly equal the 1,000 megawatt growth in the base load since last summer.
The ISO expects demand to peak at 47,847 megawatts. Last summer, unexpectedly high temperatures caused the demand to reach 50,270, a historic high on July 24, 2006.
Despite the increase in supply, ISO vice president of operations Jim Detmers said voluntary conservation will be needed to balance supply and demand.
"We will count on consumer to do their part to reduce electricity use on peak days when the California appetite for megawatts rises with the mercury," he said. "New power plants, transmission additions and demand response resources will help us keep pace with load growth, but margins will be tight on peak days, especially in Southern California."
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Major U.S. utilities spending more on electricity delivery, less on power production
WASHINGTON - Over the past decade, major utilities in the United States have been spending more on delivering electricity to customers and less on producing that electricity.
After adjusting for inflation, major utilities spent 2.6 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) on electricity delivery in 2010, using 2020 dollars. In comparison, spending on delivery was 65% higher in 2020 at 4.3 cents/kWh. Conversely, utility spending on power production decreased from 6.8 cents/kWh in 2010 (using 2020 dollars) to 4.6 cents/kWh in 2020.
Utility spending on electricity delivery includes the money spent to build, operate, and maintain the electric wires, poles, towers, and meters that…
